Lunar New Year Traditions to Celebrate Around the World

Once the moon has just about completed 12 full cycles of its phases, the Lunar New Year falls upon us. The first new moon of this next cycle—in mid-February for 2026—marks the beginning of spring according to the lunisolar calendar, which is certainly cause for celebration. For 15 days, about two billion people around the world will be taking part in all sorts of festivities—spiritual, cultural, and simply spectacular. Though the lunar new year is celebrated by a multitude of cultures around the world, the types of festivities that occur in February are historically associated with celebrations in Asia, such as Tết Nguyên Đán in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea, and the like.

While many locals like to spend the Spring Festival having intimate gatherings with family and friends, there is still plenty to do for visitors looking to join in on public celebrations. Temple visits, parades, street fairs, and fireworks shows are some of the most well-attended events. However, there are also lantern festivals, cultural demonstrations, flower markets, and so much more. Here are some of the best ways you can welcome the coming Lunar New Year.

This article has been updated since its original publish date.

Temples like the one in Beijing’s Heaven Park tend to fill up with celebrants for the lunar new year.

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Visit temples and attend temple fairs in Beijing

The new year brings new hope for prosperity and better fortunes in family, health, love, and money—and many like to start the year right with prayer. Beijing’s temples are one of the busiest places to be during the Lunar New Year, with crowds packing temples to pay their respects to Buddhist deities. However, for those who don’t practice Buddhism, there are also temple fairs on the temple grounds or nearby. The largest and oldest temple fair in Beijing is one held at Ditan Park. There’s a wide variety of local snacks and artisanal crafts featured in booths in the park, folk performances from different regions of China (including lion dancing), and games. Other temple fairs also have their own unique activities and attractions, like the Old Summer Palace temple fair which features ice skating performances that recreate events during the Qing dynasty.